Harvard has just closed one of its most auspicious winter sport seasons. In the number of teams in action, the number of games played, and the number of men participating it has probably been the greatest year on record. The addition of two new sports--swimming and boxing--and the advent of House athletics have caused this rise. In percentage of games won and lost, although here the record for this year has probably been surpassed other seasons, the result has also been quite favorable.

Excluding House athletics for the time being, there were 24 Harvard teams which took part in active competition with other colleges. These 24 aggregations played 176 games during the winter months. (Really only 174 games were played, since in two sports--hockey and polo--the Harvard seconds met the Crimson Freshmen). Out of these 176 contests Harvard won 116, lost 58, and tied two, making an average of two games won out of every three played. That record, although not imposing, is at least indicative of a fairly successful competitive season.

It is, however, when we turn to the contests with Yale that the record is a bit marred. Counting the two meetings with the Blue in varsity hockey and polo there were 21 in all. Out of this number the Yale teams were returned the victor no less than 18 times with the Crimson coming out ahead on only three occasions. These were in varsity squash and wrestling and in second team hockey. Besides winning twice in both varsity hockey and polo the varsity and Freshman Yale teams won also in basketball, swimming, fencing, and boxing. The Crimson also lost in Freshman hockey, polo, wrestling and basketball while the Harvard second polo and basketball teams were also conquered by the Blue. A Yale class swimming team also won over its Harvard rival.

The varsity squash team was the only one to go through the season undefeated, but there are a few other incidents which provide a little balm for the wound inflicted by Yale. Harvard's hockey team was probably one of the strongest in the last decade and went through a stiff season with only one defeat until it met and was conquered by Yale. The Freshman wrestling team had not lost a meet until the final one of the season with the Blue. The varsity squash "B" and "C" teams also were defeated only once. The second hockey team suffered only one defeat, but was tied on one occasion. In track Harvard won its only meet, the Harvard-Dartmouth-Cornell meet in the Boston Garden, and placed second in the Intercollegiates in New York. In the B. A. A. meet in Boston the Crimson mile relay team won over the Yale quartet. Following is the complete record of the Harvard winter sport teams for the season just past: (Second varsity basketball, class swimming, and second Freshman wrestling are omitted since in each of these sports there was only one scheduled meeting with an outside team. Track is also left out.)

Varsity Hockey, games won 12; lost 3.

Second Hockey, Games won 7; lost 1; tied 1.

Freshman Hockey, Games won 7; lost 4.

Varsity Basketball, Games won 10; lost 5.

Freshman Basketball, Games won 6; lost 6.

Varsity Polo, Games won 6; lost 4.

Second Polo, Games won 1; lost 5.

Freshman Polo, Games won 3; lost 2.

Varsity Wrestling, Meets won 5; lost 2; tied 1.

Freshman Wrestling, Meets won 7; lost 1.

Varsity Swimming, Meets won 6; lost 2.

Freshman Swimming, Meets won 1; lost 5.

Varsity Squash (A), Games won 8; lost 0.

Varsity Squash (B), Games won 6; lost 1.

Varsity Squash (C), Games won 6; lost 1.

Freshman Squash (C), Games won 5; lost 3.

Freshman Squash (D), Games won 7; lost 2.

Varsity Fencing, Meets won 6; lost 2.

Freshman Fencing, Meets won 5; lost 2.

Varsity Boxing, Meets won 1; lost 2.

Freshman Boxing, Meets won 0; lost 2.

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Besides the fact that two new sports were added to the Harvard roster this season there are several other interesting sidelights. For the first time in many years the varsity hockey sextet triumphed over all its Canadian rivals and for the first time in history did the hockey team go across the border and play a Canadian rival on its home ice. The varsity swimming aggregation helped dedicate the new swimming pool at West Point when it met the cadets there on February 23. The squash team not only was undefeated but won the national championships at Buffalo, while Beekman Pool '32, a member of the first five, won the state individual championship. The polo trio also had the honor on last Saturday of being the first Crimson team to play Princeton following the resumption of athletic relations with the Tiger. In winning the game the Harvard outfit scored its first intercollegiate victory since it captured the championships in 1929.

Swimming Speed

An interesting sidelight which shows the progress of the swimming team during its first season is the fact that every record except one which the Crimson swimmers set at the beginning of the season was broken by them before the year was over. Also testifying to the advancement made is the fact that three of the Harvard records now are within a fraction of the pool marks, all of which were set in the Intercollegiates last year. The times for the 50 and 100 yard swims of 24 1-5 and 54 1-5 seconds respectively, both held by Captain-elect B.S. Wood '33, are both only 1-5 of a second slower than the pool records set last year by Albert Schwartz of Northwestern. The Crimson relay quartet in hanging up a mark of 1:30 in the Dartmouth meet came only 1 1-4 seconds short of equaling the pool record set last year by Michigan.

This same relay mark was lowered three times this year before the meet with the Big Green swimmers. Wood lowered the 100-yard mark twice and the 50-yard one three times before finally establishing the present times. After Captain W.S. de Lima '31 had lowered the mark in the 440-yard free-style three times during the year Wood also shattered this record. In the intercollegiate meet in the Columbia pool last Saturday he won the race in 5:04 after having been first among the qualifiers on Friday with a time of 5:03 1-4. The best official time that de Lima set was 5:08 3-5, although the Harvard captain swam the distance in considerably faster time when he placed second to Leedy in the Yale meet. The 200-yard breast stroke record was lowered three times during the year. The only mark which did not fall during the year was that in the 150-yard backstroke. This consistent lowering of times is a tribute to the work that Coach Ulen has done with the men and clearly shows why the Crimson made such an excellent start in its first year in swimming competition. --BY TIME OUT.